New York Sustainable Winegrowing is a comprehensive program that includes educational events and resources as well as an official certification process for Vineyards who are seeking to advance their environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Certification is based on science backed regionally defined standards and independent third-party audits so you can feel confident in the wine you are drinking.
Look for our Trustmark at Vineyards and wineries and on bottles in 2024 to ensure that the wine you are enjoying is environmentally sound, socially equitable, and financially sustainable. Click here for a list of certified vineyards.
Certification is based on maintaining a minimum score in the VineBalance workbook. This workbook is designed to provide grape growers in New York and other regions of the Northeast with guidance in evaluating and adopting best management practices that minimize environmental impacts, reduce economic risks, and protect worker health and safety. Standards in the workbook are set by a panel of experts including academics, industry members, and extension specialists focusing on practices relevant to New York grape production. Annually, these standards undergo review and revision to ensure they are up to date with science based best practices and economic feasibility. Currently the workbook features nine objectives.
NYWGF is pleased to announce the release of VineBalance 2024 as the latest edition of New York’s statewide code of sustainable winegrowing.
October 10, 2024 | VineBalance 2023 Released |
December 30, 2024 | Completed VineBalance Due |
February – May, 2025 | In-person Audits Conducted |
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting official comments about the re-registration and usage of two fungicide materials commonly utilized by grape growers in New York State, Ziram and Iodiprone (trade name Rovral). Growers in New York typically utilize Ziram for diseases such as downy mildew and black rot, with Rovral utilized for Botrytis management. EPA regularly solicits comments from the public before making registration decisions. Should you have input to share to the EPA,
The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is pleased to announce a partnership with two Vineyard Inspectors for the Sustainability Pilot Program: Tim Martinson and Chris King. Tim Martinson’s wealth of knowledge and depth of perspective from leading the original VineBalance workbook project combined with his 9 years as an Area Extension Educator with the Finger Lakes Grape Program and 14 years as a Senior Extension Associate for the Statewide Viticulture Extension Program make him uniquely
The NYWGF is pleased to announce the release of Version 2 of VineBalance 2022 as the latest edition of New York’s statewide code of sustainable winegrowing. “I am humbled by the generous the contributions of time and knowledge that the New York wine community have dedicated to Version 2 of VineBalance 2022” said Sustainability Program Manager, Whitney Beaman. Version 2 of VineBalance 2022 was reviewed, workshopped, and revised through a robust six-month stakeholder engagement process
2024 Unity Awards: Sustainability Recipient - Rich Olsen-Harbich
Rich Olsen-Harbich began pioneering sustainable winegrowing techniques decades before it was cool.
“This Sustainability Award really validates what we’ve been doing at Bedell Cellars since 1980,” Olsen-Harbich, winemaker at Bedell Cellars, notes. “Sustainability is a zero-sum game. It is a pathway that you walk on, without an end in sight. You always want to find a way to be even more sustainable.”.
The Sustainability Award recognizes an organization or winery that has exemplified sustainable practices.
NYWGF is a Founding Member of the Sustainable Wine Roundtable
The Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) is an independent, nonprofit, multi-stakeholder initiative to unite the international wine community around a consensus definition of sustainable wine. The mission of the SWR is to develop guidelines and best practices to advance sustainability in all aspects of wine production and trade. As a Founding Member, the Foundation will join with sister programs to share expertise and develop a global sustainability standard for wine. For more information, visit this link.
NYWGF Joins Porto Protocol
The NYWGF Sustainability Program would not be possible without support from the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, USDA Rural Development, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority, Yates County, New York State Wine Grape Growers, and John Ingle of Ingle Vineyard and Heron Hill Winery.